Need advice on Hunting attire for Southern Cape hunt June 2020...how cold?

[Cody hunt4life]

I have a hunt booked with Huntershill in Mid June of next year (13th-23rd)and before I purchase the clothes I intend to hunt in I was hoping for some input/advice on what to expect temperature wise during this particular time of the year as well as what colors are recommended for this area in this particular season. I don’t want to over bulk with my hunting clothing but I also don’t want to freeze as well. Can anyone tell me what I should expect regarding temperatures and recommendations on best colors? I hear the rides out early morning can be pretty chilly but wasn’t sure if it’s moderate during the mid day. This will be my first hunt in SA so I’m a newbie in the African game. I also read that it’s illegal to wear camo in town? Because of that I am second guessing bringing my current hunting gear. I live in Texas and hunt here all the way to Alaska. Just don’t want to pack or bring anything I don’t need.

 

[sgt_zim]

Layers are your friend, with a nice large-ish day pack to hold the layers as you shed them. Best advice I can give you other than that is to ask Greg. Camo probably isn't necessary, but subdued greens, browns, and khakis should be fine.

Accuweather shows June daytime highs in Port Elizabeth near 70, lows around 50. Not much different than deer hunting weather down here. But like I said, check with Greg. I haven't hunted with him yet, but I have corresponded with him, and all reports on him are good.

 

[Cody hunt4life]

Thank you sgt_zim! I sent him an email a little earlier so hopefully I will hear back relatively soon. If I can get those temps on the hunt I would be stoked! I'd likely buy briar pants and like you said light layers along with a light rain gear setup if that be the case. Majority of my camo I hunt in would be too dark or too green with realtree, realtree xtra and mossy oak. I considered looking at some desert style kahki colored camos but may just be better of with neutral medium to light olive greens and very light brown to Khaki colored outerwear. Thanks for the input on carrying my pack as well. I likely would have left it at camp in the midst of excitement being my first time on a SA Safari hunt!

 

[Cody hunt4life]

Do you think this camo pattern/

color would be sufficient in the Eastern Cape in June?

 

[RogerHeintzman]

Stick to safari green shirts. Remember around May 15th is first freeze then trees go bare and grasses lay down. You'll see through the bush better as will the critters.
A year wait will drive you crazy. Enjoy the preparations and hunt.
I'll be in Namibia this June for leopard.

 

[Ryan]

Do you think this camo pattern/View attachment 276740
color would be sufficient in the Eastern Cape in June?

Should be good. Don't overthink it, honestly most mid to darker earth tones are good. So most camo's if you are going camo. Olive drab and such, medium to dark browns all work well. I hunted near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape last August and September and I was usually in a OD green canvas button down shirt and some other earth tone t-shirt underneath. Add some green or brown shorts and one or two days I wore green or dark gray pants and I was good. For cooler mornings I was in an olive light coat too. A lot of these clothes have gone to northern Namibia and back to Arizona too and worked great. Look up reports on your outfitter, or mine for the trip, KMG Safaris, and you should get a feel for the environment.
Here's some pics too, to give you a feel of things.

 

[Cody hunt4life]

Stick to safari green shirts. Remember around May 15th is first freeze then trees go bare and grasses lay down. You'll see through the bush better as will the critters.
A year wait will drive you crazy. Enjoy the preparations and hunt.
I'll be in Namibia this June for leopard.

Thank you for the feedback. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I think that will certainly help me choose better gear for the hunt. Looks like I’ll stick to khaki and safari green combinations. Best of luck on your hunt as well! I’d like to do a big car hunt one day. I’ve got 10 animals on my list for this hunt with 8 primary trophies I’m dedicated to if I can’t find a shot opportunity on the others. All plains game. Thanks again!

 

[Hunting Sailor]

The winters can be a bit harsh up in the mountains where Huntershill is located.
If you looking for weather statistics for the year try for Queenstown and/or Tarkastad which is in the area of Huntershill rather than Port Elizabeth as the mountain range in between will make the weather different and it is usually much colder in the winter.
Layers, layers and layers.... Even during the day it can be cold, as well as very nice and pleasant. I keep a light down jacket that can be squeezed into a small bag with me just in case. I have a fleece touk and leather gloves with me all the time. When the wind starts to blow a bit and you sit down it is nice to feel warm and comfortable.
Take it with, keep it in the cruiser and play it by ear.

For the different shades of colors it doesn’t make a big difference as long as you don’t have too much of a contrast difference in it.

Enjoy the hunt and welcome to the Eastern Cape. The views up in the mountains takes most people’s breath away and I’m sure you’ll like it.

 

[Cody hunt4life]

The winters can be a bit harsh up in the mountains where Huntershill is located.
If you looking for weather statistics for the year try for Queenstown and/or Tarkastad which is in the area of Huntershill rather than Port Elizabeth as the mountain range in between will make the weather different and it is usually much colder in the winter.
Layers, layers and layers.... Even during the day it can be cold, as well as very nice and pleasant. I keep a light down jacket that can be squeezed into a small bag with me just in case. I have a fleece touk and leather gloves with me all the time. When the wind starts to blow a bit and you sit down it is nice to feel warm and comfortable.
Take it with, keep it in the cruiser and play it by ear.

For the different shades of colors it doesn’t make a big difference as long as you don’t have too much of a contrast difference in it.

Enjoy the hunt and welcome to the Eastern Cape. The views up in the mountains takes most people’s breath away and I’m sure you’ll like it.

Thank you very much! I know I’m way ahead of the game but I’ve got everything for the hunt setup from top to bottom outside of my packing and what to wear. Been planning the hunt for about 5 months and now I want to finish up the loose ends with my clothing. (My wife is also going along as an observer/one woman camera crew to catch the action as best she can without getting in the way)

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

I‘m living in the Western Cape. In June it‘s cold, often with wind and rain, snow on the mountains.

During June/July I sometimes used to visit Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth. It was so cold that I was sleeping on the heatable blanket of our large dog!

 

[bruce moulds]

be aware that animals have eyesight attuned more the blue end of the spectrum.
this makes it obvious to avoid blue end clothing when hunting.
what others say about camo is absolutely true.
subdued colours more toward the red end are as good as camo.
reason being that animals (and humans) notice movement more than anything.
skylining is also to be avoided.
the best camo and a white face are incongruous.
bruce.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Excellent advice given so far. Early mornings and late afternoon, you will bundle up, including gloves and a warm hat. By late morning through mid-afternoon, you can be down to shirt sleeves as it warms up. Regarding colors, olive drab, sage green, brown and the darker khaki are best. Avoid the light color khaki as it really shines in the bright sunlight.

 

[Cody hunt4life]

I‘m living in the Western Cape. In June it‘s cold, often with wind and rain, snow on the mountains.

During June/July I sometimes used to visit Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth. It was so cold that I was sleeping on the heatable blanket of our large dog!

I went with all Carhartt Khaki and Green (Safari/Olive green) everything. I figure that should be fine after talking to my PH Jason and owner Greg at Huntershill. I've got the itch bad so it's going to be a LONG 14 months. I went from a 5 animal to 12 animal safari and extended my trip. Hope to get all the plains game I want to harvest this trip so I can start on the big 5 on upcoming years. Thank you all for the input!

 

[YancyW]

Thank you sgt_zim! I sent him an email a little earlier so hopefully I will hear back relatively soon. If I can get those temps on the hunt I would be stoked! I'd likely buy briar pants and like you said light layers along with a light rain gear setup if that be the case. Majority of my camo I hunt in would be too dark or too green with realtree, realtree xtra and mossy oak. I considered looking at some desert style kahki colored camos but may just be better of with neutral medium to light olive greens and very light brown to Khaki colored outerwear. Thanks for the input on carrying my pack as well. I likely would have left it at camp in the midst of excitement being my first time on a SA Safari hunt!

Just remember, those briar pants can be pretty loud when walking through some types of cover. Just wait until early fall, Orvis will have pretty decent sale.

 

[Cody hunt4life]

Just remember, those briar pants can be pretty loud when walking through some types of cover. Just wait until early fall, Orvis will have pretty decent sale.

Those were my thoughts exactly once I looked at them. I always rub the material together with all of my hunting clothes and they were not ideal for a stalk in the bush. I decided to buy heavy duty carhartt pants in Khaki and Green (Safari/olive green in color) I think should be perfect when compared to what my PH wears in the field (in pictures and videos) and they are very quiet and comfortable for the long days of walking and hiking. I've been lucky enough to book the safari with Jason their lead PH who has quite the reputation and was recommended to me through a few people and we are now friends on Facebook and communicate through messenger which seems to be an easy way to get information or advice from him when I need it. The owner has been amazing getting back to me within 12 hours (with the time difference) of every email I have sent him. So far I've been very impressed with how great the communication has been with my outfitter Huntershill.

Another thing I need to ask them is if they have gun cleaning supplies on hand if needed like Solvent or even oil. I plan to bring a snake to keep the barrel as clean as I can but I do see it rains often in hunts in June. Thinking I may bring some individual packaged wipes. I really don;t want to have to bring a full cleaning kit for my Bergara 300 Win Mag. All I have in my pelican case I just cut specific for the trip is my rifle, sling, Bolt separated from my rifle , AI Mag separated, a backup Leupold scope and my preferred BOG Tactical Tri-pod shooting sticks rather than bringing a second rifle (hopefully that is the right decision). I'm so green to Africa that I have been doing a lot of research and see a lot of people bring their own cleaning gear. I tend to over pack for trips in the US, Canada and Mexico so I'm trying to pack light with the essentials since laundry is done daily. Bringing Binos and Range finder in my carry on pack.

 

[bruce moulds]

here are some thoughts.
when you see a guy in a commo top and blue jeans, quietly laugh to yourself.
animals see blue like a beacon.
then there are clothes washing products that make whites whiter and colours brighter.
guess what, that is just what they do to animal eyes. there is a lot of u.v. in them somehow making cammo into a beacon.
in fact non cammo in sensible colours washed in the right detergent is way ahead.
do your homework on clothes washing products if you prefer not to be seen.
bruce.

 

[YancyW]

Those were my thoughts exactly once I looked at them. I always rub the material together with all of my hunting clothes and they were not ideal for a stalk in the bush. I decided to buy heavy duty carhartt pants in Khaki and Green (Safari/olive green in color) I think should be perfect when compared to what my PH wears in the field (in pictures and videos) and they are very quiet and comfortable for the long days of walking and hiking. I've been lucky enough to book the safari with Jason their lead PH who has quite the reputation and was recommended to me through a few people and we are now friends on Facebook and communicate through messenger which seems to be an easy way to get information or advice from him when I need it. The owner has been amazing getting back to me within 12 hours (with the time difference) of every email I have sent him. So far I've been very impressed with how great the communication has been with my outfitter Huntershill.

Another thing I need to ask them is if they have gun cleaning supplies on hand if needed like Solvent or even oil. I plan to bring a snake to keep the barrel as clean as I can but I do see it rains often in hunts in June. Thinking I may bring some individual packaged wipes. I really don;t want to have to bring a full cleaning kit for my Bergara 300 Win Mag. All I have in my pelican case I just cut specific for the trip is my rifle, sling, Bolt separated from my rifle , AI Mag separated, a backup Leupold scope and my preferred BOG Tactical Tri-pod shooting sticks rather than bringing a second rifle (hopefully that is the right decision). I'm so green to Africa that I have been doing a lot of research and see a lot of people bring their own cleaning gear. I tend to over pack for trips in the US, Canada and Mexico so I'm trying to pack light with the essentials since laundry is done daily. Bringing Binos and Range finder in my carry on pack.

This is the best place in the world for advice on Africa, no question.

I think you are on the right path, I take a bore snake and a multitool that fits my scope rings, but that is it. Your outfitter is going to have everything you need, worst case scenario is your are using their very nice rifle to hunt, you are never going to be out of action. Over packing is very easy to do, you can fit everything you need in a backpack, if you wear your boots, vest and coat on the plane.

Not sure what scope you are using, but you might want to pull it off and throw it in your carry-on also, use GQ rings and mounts.

 

[dobber]

Gloves, and not talking anything but a tough leather glove for when you are crawling on a stalk, would even suggest knee pads to keep handy. I did a butt shuffle for over 10 miles (100 yards, but sure felt like further) had to grab a fist sized rock and use that to make contact the ground as i pushed up and scooted forward.
i carried a fleece jacket when i went, only had frost one morning but certainly a warmer hunt than i am used to here in Ontario

 

[Nyati]

Wearing your beard is a good idea, a white face stands out.

 

[bruce moulds]

that is a good point Nyati.
there are various nets that can hang from a hat rim.
they will keep flies off your face as well.
bruce.